Blueprint for Change in Montana
2010 State Teacher Policy Yearbook National Council on Teacher Quality
Acknowledgments statEs State education agencies remain our most important partners in this effort, and their extensive experience has helped to ensure the factual accuracy of the final product. Although this year’s Blueprint for Change did not require the extensive review typically required of states, we still wanted to make sure that states’ perspectives were represented. As such, each state received a draft of the policy updates we identified this year. We would like to thank all of the states for graciously reviewing and responding to our drafts. Funders The primary funders for the 2010 Yearbook were: n Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation n Carnegie Corporation of New York n Gleason Family Foundation
n The George Gund Foundation n The Joyce Foundation
The National Council on Teacher Quality does not accept any direct funding from the federal government. STAFF Sandi Jacobs, Project Director Sarah Brody, Project Assistant Kelli M. Rosen, Lead Researcher Trisha M. Madden, Pension Researcher nctq board of directors Stacey Boyd n Chester E. Finn, Jr. n Ira Fishman n Marti Watson Garlett n Henry L. Johnson Donald N. Langenberg n Clara M. Lovett n Barbara O’Brien n Carol G. Peck n John Winn Kate Walsh, President Thank you to Bryan Gunning and the team at CPS Inc. for their design of the 2010 Blueprint for Change. Thanks also to Colleen Hale and Jeff Hale of EFA Solutions for the original Yearbook design and ongoing technical support.
About the Yearbook
T
he 2010 Blueprint for Change is the National Council on Teacher Quality’s fourth annual review of state laws, rules and regulations that govern the teaching profession. This year’s Yearbook takes a different approach than our past editions, as it is designed as a companion to the 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook, NCTQ’s most recent comprehensive report on state teacher policies. The comprehensive Yearbook, a 52-volume state-by-state analysis produced biennially, examines the alignment of states’ teacher policies with goals to improve teacher quality. The 2009 report, which addressed key policy areas such as teacher preparation, evaluation, alternative certification and compensation, found that states had much work to do to ensure that every child has an effective teacher. Next year we will once again conduct a comprehensive goal-by-goal analysis of all aspects of states’ teacher policies. In 2010, an interim year, we set out to help states prioritize among the many areas of teacher policy in need of reform. With so much to be done, state policymakers may be nonplussed about where to begin. The 2010 Yearbook offers each state an individualized blueprint, identifying state policies most in need of attention. Although based on our 2009 analyses, this edition also updates states’ progress in the last year, a year that saw many states make significant policy changes, largely spurred by the Race to the Top competition. Rather than grade states, the 2010 Blueprint for Change stands as a supplement to the 2009 comprehensive report, updating states’ positive and negative progress on Yearbook goals and specifying actions that could lead to stronger policies for particular topics such as teacher evaluation, tenure rules and dismissal policies. As is our practice, in addition to a national summary report, we have customized this year’s Blueprint for Change so that each state has its own edition highlighting its progress toward specific Yearbook goals. Each report also contains charts and graphs showing how the state performed compared to other states. In addition, we point to states that are leading the way in areas requiring the most critical attention across the country. We hope that this year’s Blueprint for Change serves as an important guide for governors, state school chiefs, school boards, legislatures and the many advocates seeking reform. Individual state and national versions of the 2010 Blueprint for Change, as well as the 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook—including rationales and supporting research for our policy goals—are available at www.nctq.org/stpy.
Blueprint for Change in Montana
T
he 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook provided a comprehensive review of states’ policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year’s comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized “Blueprint for Change,” building off last year’s Yearbook goals and recommendations. State teacher policy addresses a great many areas, including teacher preparation, certification, evaluation and compensation. With so many moving parts, it may be difficult for states to find a starting point on the road to reform. To this end, the following brief provides a state-specific roadmap, organized in three main sections. ■■ Section 1 identifies policy concerns that need critical attention, the areas of highest priority for state policymakers. ■■ Section 2 outlines “low-hanging fruit,” policy changes that can be implemented in relatively short order. ■■ Section 3 offers a short discussion of some longer-term systemic issues that states need to make sure stay on the radar.
Current Status of Montana’s Teacher Policy In the 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook, Montana had the following grades:
F Overall Grade
Area 1: Delivering Well Prepared Teachers
D-
Area 2: Expanding the Teaching Pool
D-
Area 3: Identifying Effective Teachers
F
Area 4: Retaining Effective Teachers
D
Area 5: Exiting Ineffective Teachers
F
2010 Policy Update: In the last year, many states made significant changes to their teacher policies, spurred in many cases by the Race to the Top competition. Based on a review of state legislation, rules and regulations, NCTQ has identified the following recent policy changes in Montana: No recent policy changes were identified.
NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 3 blueprint for change in Montana
Montana Response to Policy Update: States were asked to review NCTQ’s identified updates and also to comment on policy changes that have occurred in the last year, other pending changes or teacher quality in the state more generally. Montana confirmed that there are no recent policy changes to report.
4 : NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 blueprint for change in Montana
Section 1: Critical Attention Areas This section identifies the highest priority areas as states work to advance teacher quality. These are the policy issues that should be at the top of the list for state policymakers. Montana should turn its immediate attention to the following eleven issues.
Critical Attention: Montana policies that need to better connect to teacher effectiveness
1.
ENSURE that TEACHEr EVALUATIONS ASSESS EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CLASSROOM:
The fundamental purpose of teachers’ formal evaluations should be to determine whether the teachers are effective in the classroom. To achieve this purpose, evaluations must be based primarily on teachers’ impact on students. While it is certainly appropriate to include subjective factors, such as classroom Evaluation is a critical observations, Montana attention area in should adopt a policy that requires objective evidence of student learning—including but not States on the right track limited to standardized include Colorado, Louisiana test scores—to be the and Rhode Island. preponderant criterion of teacher evaluations.
42 states.
In order to ensure that teachers’ strengths are optimized and weaknesses addressed, it is critical that teachers are evaluated with sufficient frequency. Montana should require that all nonprobationary teachers be evaluated annually regardless of their previous performance and that all new teachers be evaluated at least twice a year. Further, the state should also require that the first evaluation for probationary teachers occur during the first half of the school year, so that new teachers are provided with feedback and support early on. In addition, to ensure that the evaluation instrument accurately differentiates among levels of teacher performance, Montana should require districts to utilize multiple rating categories, such as highly effective,
effective, needs improvement and ineffective. A binary system that merely categorizes teachers as satisfactory or unsatisfactory is inadequate.
2.
CONNECT TENURE DECISIONS TO TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS:
The point at which a teacher’s probationary Tenure is a critical period ends, commonly attention area in referred to as tenure, should be a significant milestone. Although the States on the right track awarding of tenure is a include Colorado, Delaware local decision, state poland Rhode Island. icy should reflect the fact that tenure should only be awarded to teachers who have consistently demonstrated their effectiveness. Montana should require a clear process, such as a hearing, for districts to use when considering whether a teacher advances from probationary to permanent status. Such a process would ensure that the local district reviews the teacher’s performance before making a determination. Montana should also ensure that evidence of effectiveness is the preponderant criterion for making tenure decisions. In addition, the current policy of granting tenure after just three years does not allow for the accumulation of sufficient data on teacher performance to support meaningful decisions. Extending the probationary period––ideally to five years––would prevent effective teachers from being unfairly denied tenure based on too little data and ineffective teachers from being granted tenure prematurely.
46 states.
NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 5 blueprint for change in Montana
3.
PREVENT INEFFECTIVE TEACHERS FROM REMAINING IN THE CLASSROOM INDEFINITELY:
Montana should explicitly make teacher ineffectiveness grounds for dismissal so that districts do not feel they lack the legal basis for terminating consistently poor performers, and it should steer clear of euphemistic terms that are ambiguous at best and may be interpreted as concerning dereliction of duty rather than ineffectiveness. Nonprobationary teachers who are dismissed for any grounds, including ineffectiveness, are entitled to due process. However, cases that drag on for years drain resources from school districts and create a disincentive for districts to attempt to terminate poor performers. Therefore, the state must ensure that the opporDismissal is a critical tunity to appeal occurs attention area in only once and only at the district level and involves only adjudicators with educational expertise. States on the right track include Oklahoma and Rhode Island.
46 states.
1 The District of Columbia has no state-level policy, but District of Columbia Public Schools requires that student academic achievement count for 50% of evaluation score. 2 Legislation articulates that student growth must account for a significant portion of evaluations, with no single criterion counting for more than 35% of the total performance evaluation. However, the State Board is on track to finalize regulations that limit any single component of student growth, such as standardized test scores, to 35%, but add other measures of student progress for a total of 50%.
Evi is dence critethe pre of stud rion pond ent l in te eran earn ing nure t deci sion s
Is classroom effectiveness considered in teacher evaluations and tenure decisions?
Evi the dence teac preponof stude her e dera nt le valu nt cr arnin ation iteri g is on in s
Eva achi luation evem s inc ent d lude s ata tude nt
Figure 1
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia1 Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland2 Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
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10
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Critical Attention: Montana policies that fail to ensure teachers are well prepared
4.
ENSURE that ELEMENTARY TEACHERS KNOW THE SCIENCE OF READING:
Scientific research has shown that there are five Preparation to teach essential components of reading is a critical attention area in effective reading instruction: explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, States on the right track fluency, vocabulary and include Connecticut, comprehension. This sciMassachusetts and Virginia. ence of reading has led to breakthroughs that can dramatically reduce the number of children destined to become functionally illiterate or barely literate adults. Whether through standards or coursework requirements, states must ensure that their preparation programs graduate only teacher candidates who know how to teach children to read. Not only should Montana require that its teacher preparation programs prepare their teacher candidates in the science of reading, but the state should also require an assessment prior to certification that tests whether teachers indeed possess the requisite knowledge in scientifically based reading instruction. Ideally this would be a stand-alone test (such as the excellent assessments required by Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia), but if it were combined with general pedagogy or elementary content, the state should require a separate subscore for the science of reading.
43 states.
5.
ENSURE that ELEMENTARY TEACHERS KNOW ELEMENTARY CONTENT MATH:
Aspiring elementary teachers must begin to acquire a deep conceptual knowledge of the mathematics they will teach, moving well beyond mere procedural understanding. Leading mathematicians and math educators have found that elementary teachers are not well served by mathematics courses designed for a general audience and that methods courses do not provide sufficient content preparation. Although Montana’s standards address areas such as algebra, geometry and statistics, the state should specifically articulate that preparation programs deliver mathematics content geared to the explicit needs of elementary teachers. Montana should also adopt a rigorous mathematics assessment, such as the one required by Massachusetts, Preparation to teach not only to ensure mathematics is a critical attention area in that teacher candidates have minimum mathematics knowledge but also A state on the right track to allow them to test is Massachusetts. out of coursework requirements.
49 states.
NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 7 blueprint for change in Montana
6.
ENSURE ADEQUATE SUBJECT-MATTER PREPARATION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS:
Middle school grades are Middle school licensure is a critical years of schooling, yet too many states fail critical attention area in to distinguish the knowledge and skills needed by middle school teachStates on the right track ers from those needed include Georgia, Kentucky, by elementary teachers. and Louisiana. Whether teaching a single subject in a departmentalized setting or teaching multiple subjects in a self-contained setting, middle school teachers must be able to teach significantly more advanced content than elementary teachers do. To ensure adequate content preparation of its middle school teachers, Montana is urged to no longer permit middle school teachers to teach on a K-8 generalist license and instead adopt for all teachers middle-grades licensure policies that are distinguishable from elementary teacher certification. Such policies should ensure that middle school teachers know the content they will teach by requiring that they pass a subject-matter test in every core area they intend to teach prior to licensure.
22 states.
8 : NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 blueprint for change in Montana
7.
ENSURE THAT TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE QUALITY OF THE TEACHERS THEY PRODUCE:
States should consider factors related to program performance in the approval of teacher preparation programs. Although the quality of both the subjectmatter preparation and professional sequence Teacher preparation is crucial, there are also program accountability is a additional measures that critical attention area in can provide the state and the public with meaningful, readily understandable indicators of how States on the right track well programs are doing include Colorado and when it comes to preparLouisiana. ing teachers to be successful in the classroom. Montana should make objective outcomes that go beyond licensure pass rates, such as retention rates and students’ academic achievement gains, a central component of its teacher preparation program approval process, and it should establish precise standards for program performance that are more useful for accountability purposes. Montana should also post an annual report card on its website that not only details the data it collects but also identifies programs that fail to meet these criteria.
30 states.
Do states ensure that teachers are well prepared?
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Ens knowures ele the s ment cien ary te ce o ach f rea ers ding Ens knowures ele elem ment enta ary te ry co ache nten rs t ma th Diffe be rent midtween eiates pr dle s lem epa choo enta ratio l tea ry an n cher d s
Figure 2
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2
1 Although California has a standalone test of reading pedagogy, the ability of this test to screen out candidates who do not know the science of reading has been questioned. 2 Florida’s licensure test for elementary teachers includes a strong focus on the science of reading but does not report a separate subscore for this content.
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2
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NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 9 blueprint for change in Montana
Critical Attention: Montana policies that license teachers who may lack subject-matter knowledge
8.
CLOSE LICENSURE LOOPHOLES TO ENSURE THAT TEACHERS KNOW THE CONTENT THEY TEACH:
All students are entitled to teachers who know the subject matter they are teaching. Permitting individuals who have not yet passed state licensing tests to teach neglects the needs of students, instead extending personal consideration to adults who may not be able to meet minimal Licensure loopholes are a critical attention area in state standards. Licensing tests are an important minimum benchmark in the profession, and states States on the right track that require no demoninclude Mississippi, Nevada stration of subject-matter and New Jersey. knowledge are abandoning one of the basic responsibilities of licensure.
34 states.
Montana is urged to implement subject-matter testing as part of its teacher certification policy, and it should also ensure that all teachers pass all required licensure tests before they enter the classroom.
10 : NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 blueprint for change in Montana
9.
ENSURE THAT ELEMENTARY CONTENT TESTS ADEQUATELY ASSESS CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN EACH SUBJECT AREA: Montana is the only state yet to adopt subject-matter testing requirements for any of its teachers, putting the state in a dubious position with regard to federal requirements. In order to ensure that elementary teachers know the subject matter they will teach, the state should require a content test. The test should Elementary licensure report teacher pertests are a critical formance in each attention area in subject area, and the passing scores should be set at a level that provides A state on the right track assurance of conis Massachusetts. tent knowledge.
50 states.
Figure 3
Where do states set the passing score on elementary content licensure tests?1
Arkansas Iowa Oklahoma
State sets score far below mean
(at or near two standard deviations ~2nd percentile)
Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Hawaii Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Missouri New Hampshire Rhode Island South Carolina Texas Utah Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
Alabama Alaska Idaho Maryland Mississippi Nebraska Nevada New Jersey North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Tennessee Virginia West Virginia
50th Percentile
Pennsylvania
Massachusetts
State sets passing score at the mean
State sets score well below mean
(at or near one standard deviation ~16th percentile)
(average score of all test takers)
1 Data not available for Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington. Montana does not require a content test. Colorado cut score is for Praxis II, not PLACE.
NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 11 blueprint for change in Montana
Critical Attention: Montana policies that limit the teacher pipeline
10.
Provide flexibility to alternate route teachers in demonstrating content knowledge: Alternative certification can create a new pipeline of potential teachers for those with valuable knowledge and skills who did not prepare to teach as undergraduates. The concept behind the alternate route into teaching is that the nontraditional candidate is able to concentrate on acquiring professional knowledge and skills because he or she has strong subject-area knowledge. This must be demonstrated in advance of entering the classroom. Montana’s current policy, which requires candidates to demonstrate subject knowledge by having a degree in their content area, rules out talented individuals with deep knowledge that may have been gained through related study or work experience. Such candidates will likely be disinclined to fulfill the requirements of a new degree and should be permitted to demonstrate their content knowledge by passAlternate route admissions ing a rigorous test. The is a critical attention area in state should require that all candidates demonstrate their subject-matter knowledge through States on the right track a content test without include Michigan and also requiring a major or Oklahoma. equivalent coursework.
38 states.
12 : NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 blueprint for change in Montana
11.
BROADEN ALTERNATE ROUTE USAGE AND PROVIDERS:
Montana should allow alternate route teachers to teach across all grades, subjects and geographic areas. The state should also encourage a diversity of providers, allowing school districts and nonprofit organizaAlternate route diversity is tions, in addition to instia critical attention area in tutions of higher education, to operate programs. At present, teachers certified through the state’s States on the right track alternate route can only include Illinois, New York teach in very limited and Washington. subject areas at the secondary level. Further, the state only allows Montana State University to provide its alternative certification program. These limitations prevent Montana’s alternate route from providing a true alternative pathway into the teaching profession.
28 states.
All univows col ersit lege ies o s and nly
Allow s no n-pr ofit prov iders
Allow s dis trict run
Do states permit alternate route providers other than colleges and universities?
prog rams
Figure 4
Alabama Alaska1 Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota3 Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
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23
2
2
2
1 Alaska’s alternate route is operated by the state department of education. 2 ABCTE is also an approved provider. 3 North Dakota does not have an alternate route to certification.
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NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 13 blueprint for change in Montana
Section 2: Low-Hanging Fruit This section highlights areas where a small adjustment would result in significantly stronger policy. Unlike the more complex topics identified in Section 1, the issues listed in this section represent low-hanging fruit, policies that can be addressed in relatively short order.
1.
ENSURE THAT UNDERGRADUATE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS ADMIT CANDIDATES WHO ARE PREPARED TO DO COLLEGE-LEVEL WORK:
Basic skills tests were initially intended as a minimal screening mechanism for teacher preparation programs, to be used at the point of admission to ensure that programs do not admit anyone who is not prepared to do college-level work. Admitting prospective teachers that have not passed basic skills tests—the current generation of which generally assess only middle school level skills—may result in programs devoting already limited time to basic skills remediation rather than preparation for the classroom. At present, Montana does not require aspiring teachers to pass a basic skills test as a criterion for admission to teacher education programs, instead delaying the requirement until teacher candidates are ready to apply for licensure. The state should adjust the timing of its basic skills test, requiring that teacher candidates pass the test, or demonstrate equivalent performance on a college entrance exam such as the SAT or ACT, as a condition of admission to a teacher preparation program.
NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 15 blueprint for change in Montana
2.
INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM QUALITY:
In the absence of more meaningful accountability data that show the quality of teacher preparation programs, Montana should at least publish on the state’s website whatever program-specific data it does have, including the licensure test pass rate data that are reported to the federal government as required under Title II.
3.
REPORT SCHOOL-LEVEL DATA TO SUPPORT THE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF TEACHERS:
Montana publicly reports the number of teachers on emergency credentials and the percentage of highly qualified teachers at the school level. The state also compares the percentage of highly qualified teachers at high-, mid-range- and low-poverty schools. However, although it collects information about teacher vacancies, the information is not publicly reported. In order to promote the equitable distribution of teacher talent among schools, these additional data should also be reported at the individual school level.
16 : NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 blueprint for change in Montana
4.
ENSURE THAT STRUGGLING TEACHERS RECEIVE SUPPORT:
Montana should adopt a policy whereby all teachers that receive a single unsatisfactory evaluation are placed on a structured improvement plan, regardless of whether or not they have tenure. These plans should focus on performance areas that directly connect to student learning and should list noted deficiencies, define specific action steps necessary to address these deficiencies and describe how and when progress will be measured. Consequences for continued poor performance should also be articulated.
5.
STRENGTHEN SELECTIVITY OF ALTERNATE ROUTE PROGRAMS:
Because nontraditional candidates enter the classroom with little or no preparation, states should require alternative certification programs to be selective in whom they admit. Alternate route programs should require some measure of past academic performance, such as a GPA, that is higher than what is generally expected of teacher candidates in traditional preparation programs. Montana’s current requirement of a minimum 2.5 GPA falls short of being a sufficient indicator of selectivity. The state should raise its minimum GPA requirement to at least 2.75 for alternate route candidates, making accommodations as appropriate for career changers.
Section 3: Systemic Issues This section discusses some of the longer-term systemic issues related to teacher quality that states also need to address. While these may not be “front-burner” issues in many states, they are important to an overall reform agenda.
1. Performance Management The critical relationship between teacher quality and student achievement has been well established, and ensuring that all students have teachers with the knowledge and skills to support their academic success has become a national priority. Yet the policy framework that governs the teaching profession in most states is almost entirely disconnected from teacher effectiveness. Although states largely control how teachers are evaluated, licensed and compensated, teacher effectiveness in terms of student learning has not been a central component in these policies. Fortunately, this is starting to change. Fifteen states have made progress in their requirements for teacher evaluation in the last year alone.1 As evaluation ratings become more meaningful, states should plan to connect teacher evaluation to an overall system of performance management. The current siloed approach, with virtually no connection between meaningful evidence of teacher performance and the awarding of tenure and professional licensure, needs a fundamental overhaul. These elements must not be thought of as isolated and
discrete, but as part of a comprehensive performance system. This system should also include compensation strategies as well as new teacher support and ongoing professional development, creating a coordinated and aligned set of teacher policies. Meaningful evaluation is at the center of a performance management system, and, as discussed in the Critical Attention section of this report, Montana has considerable work to do to ensure that evaluations measure teacher effectiveness. But as the state moves forward, it should keep in mind the larger goal of creating a performance management system. A successful performance management system—one that gives educators the tools they need to be effective, supports their development, rewards their accomplishments and holds them accountable for results— is essential to the fundamental goal of all education reform: eliminating achievement gaps and ensuring that all students achieve to their highest potential.
1 Includes changes to state policies regulating the frequency of evaluations for probationary and nonprobationary teachers as well as requirements that teacher evaluations consider classroom effectiveness.
NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 17 blueprint for change in Montana
2. Pension Reform State pension systems are in need of a fundamental overhaul. In an era when retirement benefits have been shrinking across industries and professions, teachers’ generous pensions remain fixed. In fact, nearly all states, including Montana, continue to provide teachers with a defined benefit pension system, an expensive and inflexible model that neither reflects the realities of the modern workforce nor provides equitable benefits to all teachers. The current model greatly disadvantages teachers who move from one state to another, career switchers who enter teaching and those who teach for fewer than 20 years. For these reasons alone, reform is needed. But the dubious financial health of states’ pension systems makes this an area in need of urgent attention. Some systems carry high levels of unfunded liabilities, with no strategy to pay these liabilities down in a reasonable period, Amount Montana pays for as defined by standard each teacher that retires accounting practices. at an early age with According to Montana’s unreduced benefits until that teacher reaches age 654 2009 actuarial report, its system was only 63.8 percent funded, significantly below recommended benchmarks.1 When funding cannot keep up with promised benefits, a new approach is clearly needed. And changes must be made immediately to alter the long-term outlook for the state, as it is exceedingly difficult to reduce promised benefits once a teacher is a member of the system––regardless of whether the state can afford them.
$600,767
Systemic reform should lead to the development of a financially sustainable, equitable pension system that includes the following: ■■ The option of a fully portable pension system as teachers’ primary pension plan, either through a defined contribution plan or a defined benefit plan that is formatted similar to a cash balance plan2
18 : NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 blueprint for change in Montana
■■ Reasonable district and teacher contribution rates ■■ Vesting for teachers no later than the third year of employment ■■ Purchase of time in a defined benefit plan for unlimited previous teaching experience at the time of employment, as well as for all official leaves of absence, such as maternity and paternity leave ■■ The option in a defined benefit plan of a lump-sum rollover to a personal retirement account upon employment termination, which includes teacher contributions and all accrued interest at a fair interest rate ■■ Funds contributed by the employer included in withdrawals due to employment termination ■■ A neutral formula for determining pension benefits, regardless of years worked (eliminating any multiplier that increases with years of service or longevity bonuses)3 ■■ Eligibility for retirement benefits based solely on age, not years of service, in order to avoid disincentives for effective teachers to continue working until conventional retirement age.
1 Public Fund Survey, http://www.publicfundsurvey.org/www/publicfundsurvey/ actuarialfundinglevels.asp. 2 A cash balance pension plan is a benefit plan in which participants, and their employers if they choose, periodically contribute a predetermined rate to employees’ individual pension accounts. These contributions grow at a guaranteed rate. Upon retirement or withdrawal, the participant may receive the full account balance in one lump sum, so long as the benefits are fully vested. (Based on Economic Research Institute, http://www.eridlc.com/resources/ index.cfm?fuseaction=resource.glossary) 3 The formula may include years of service (i.e., years of service x final average salary x benefit multiplier), but other aspects of the benefit calculation, such as the multiplier, should not be dependent on years of service. 4 Calculations are based on a teacher who starts teaching at age 22, earns a starting salary of $35,000 that increases 3 percent per year, and retires at the age when he or she is first eligible for unreduced benefits. Calculations use the state’s benefit formula for new hires, exclude cost of living increases, and base the final average salary on the highest three years. Age 65 is the youngest eligibility age for unreduced Social Security benefits.
3. Certification of Special Education Teachers States’ requirements for the preparation of special education teachers are one of the most neglected and dysfunctional areas of teacher policy. The low expectations for what special education teachers should know stand in stark contradiction to state and federal expectations that special education students should meet the same high standards as other students. Montana, like most states, sets an exceedingly low bar for the content knowledge that special education teachers must have. The state does not require that elementary special education teachers garner appropriate subject-matter knowledge relevant to the elementary classroom through mandated coursework or demonstrate content knowledge on a subject-matter test. Further, although secondary special education teachers must be highly qualified in every subject they will teach, the state does not require that teacher preparation programs graduate teachers who are highly qualified in any core academic areas. But the problem requires a more systemic fix than just raising content requirements for elementary and secondary special education teachers. The overarching
issue is that too many states, including Montana, make no distinction between elementary and secondary special education teachers, certifying all such teachers under a generic K-12 special education license. While this broad umbrella may be appropriate for teachers of low-incidence special education students, such as those with severe cognitive disabilities, it is deeply problematic for high-incidence special education students, who are expected to learn grade-level content. And because the overwhelming majority of special education students are in the high-incidence category, the result is a fundamentally broken system. It is virtually impossible and certainly impractical for states to ensure that a K-12 teacher knows all the subject matter he or she is expected to be able to teach. And the issue is just as valid in terms of pedagogical knowledge. Teacher preparation and licensure for special education teachers must distinguish between elementary and secondary levels, as they do for general education. The current model does little to protect some of our most vulnerable students.
NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 : 19 blueprint for change in Montana
1 New policy goes into effect January 1, 2013.
20 : NCTQ State teacher policy yearbook 2010 blueprint for change in Montana
Doe s cert not of f ifica tion er a K-1 2
Do states distinguish between elementary and secondary special education teachers?
Offe rs on ly a K-12 certi ficat ion Offe certi rs K-12 ficat a ion(s nd grad e-sp ) ecifi c
Figure 5
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania1 Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
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National Council on Teacher Quality 1420 New York Avenue, NW • Washington, DC 20005 Tel: 202-393-0020 Fax: 202-393-0095 Web: www.nctq.org NCTQ is available to work with individual states to improve teacher policies. For more information, please contact: Sandi Jacobs Vice President sjacobs@nctq.org 202-393-0020